Sierra Commons is bringing its Food Founders program to three new rural communities across the Sierra. Food Founders gives aspiring and early-stage food entrepreneurs a structured path from kitchen idea to licensed, market-ready business, combining business curriculum, access to licensed commercial kitchen space, and one-on-one advising.

Over the coming year, Sierra Commons will deliver four Food Founders cohorts, each designed for up to 20 food entrepreneurs, working alongside local partners in each community. Two cohorts will be based in Sonora, serving Tuolumne County with the Central Sierra Economic Development District and Mother Lode Job Training. A third will serve Truckee and the Tahoe Basin, and a fourth will serve El Dorado County in the Placerville area with the Sierra Small Business Development Center (Sierra SBDC) and Sierra Business Council. Sierra Commons will also continue delivering Food Founder cohorts in Western Nevada County throughout 2027 and beyond.

Food Founders is also adding student sessions in a commercial kitchen setting, so participants learn how a licensed food operation runs day to day before they launch their own. The program year concludes with FoodX 2027, a Regional Food Marketplace in Nevada City where program graduates and regional food businesses connect with buyers, retailers, and the public.

The expansion is built on partnerships with organizations already rooted in each region. Sierra Business Council, ChicoStart, Central Sierra Economic Development District, Sierra SBDC, Mother Lode Job Training, and BriarPatch Food Co-op are contributing outreach, instruction, advising, and marketplace support.

“SBDC advisors at SBC work regularly with food entrepreneurs, and collaborating with Sierra Commons means El Dorado County-based food businesses will receive robust, wrap-around training and advising that builds on each other,” said Jessica Carr, Sierra Business Council.

A Proven Model

Food Founders has completed seven cohorts in Western Nevada County since 2024. Graduates of the 2025–2026 cohorts have launched 19 businesses and created 12 full-time and 37 part-time jobs. Businesses that have participated in the Food Founders program and successfully launched include Bia Brazilian Bites, Comedor, Hachidori Cooking, and Petra, among others.

Graduates are already finding support to grow. Through the Sierra Commons partnership with ChicoStart, recent Food Founders graduate Bia Navarro of Bia Brazilian Bites was awarded a $5,000 scholarship to grow her new business.

“Bia is a great example of what can happen when rural food entrepreneurs have access to the right training, resources, and support before they go looking for capital,” said Eva Shepherd-Nicoll, Executive Director of ChicoStart. “Programs like Sierra Commons’ Food Founders series help close that gap—turning great local products into stronger, more investment-ready businesses and creating more opportunities for entrepreneurs to grow right here in our rural communities.”

“Our food entrepreneurs in Nevada County showed us what’s possible when people get effective training, targeted resources, and an enthusiastic community behind them,” said Robert Trent, Executive Director of Sierra Commons. “This grant lets us take that model to Sonora, Truckee, and Placerville, working hand in hand with partners who know those communities. We’re grateful to USDA Rural Development for investing in rural food businesses.”

The expansion is funded by a USDA Rural Business Development Grant matched by non-federal support from Sierra Commons and its partners.

For more information, visit https://www.sierracommons.org/.

About Sierra Commons

Sierra Commons is a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating entrepreneurial communities and supporting small business development throughout Northern California. Through education, mentorship, accelerator programs, and business support services, Sierra Commons helps entrepreneurs launch, grow, and sustain successful businesses that contribute to thriving local economies. Sierra Commons is an equal opportunity provider.

This project is supported by a Rural Business Development Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development.